In 2015, my wife and I flew to Nha Trang on a package tour.
We enjoyed our vacation so much that we returned to Vietnam in 2019 to live and travel.
In my opinion, Vietnam is the optimal southeastern country in terms of price and quality of vacation. In Thailand, the standard of living is higher, it is more developed, so it is generally more expensive. Vietnam has everything a budget tourist needs: year-round warmth, sea and beaches, some of the lowest prices in the world for hotels and transportation, cheap tropical fruits and local alcohol, affordable and tasty exotic cuisine, inexpensive entertainment and excursions.
Vacations in Vietnam are not limited to the hotel area, often they don’t even have their own grounds and beach. For me, this is an advantage, not a disadvantage. Here you can feel yourself not a package tourist, but a real traveler: you can organize your own excursion, explore the city streets, not be afraid to try local food in street cafes, communicate with Vietnamese in English.
Vietnam’s tourist towns are not fake: they are not scrubbed to a shine especially for visitors. On the contrary, you can feel real life and Asian flavor at every corner. There is beautiful nature: sea, mountains, islands, bays, waterfalls, lakes, diverse fauna and flora. In addition, Vietnam has a rich historical heritage from imperial and colonial times to the times of resistance to the U.S. army and the victory of socialism.
All of this has attracted not only me but many others to return here. I know people who are vacationing in Vietnam for the fifth year in a row. While I am not in favor of such conservatism, I understand them.
My wife and I lived in different cities in Vietnam for about a year – March 2019 to March 2020. We only left the country for visaran. During this time we learned a lot of information that I would like to share. I will tell you what time and where it is better to go, what local dishes are worth trying, how to save money on accommodation, how to stay out of trouble and what to bring back from the trip.
Introductory data
When in season: all year round, but in different resorts.
Average seasonal temperature: +32 °C during the day and +28 °C at night.
Currency: Vietnamese dong, ₫.
Language: Vietnamese, English is spoken in many resorts.
Weather
In Vietnam you can have a vacation at any time of the year. But it is important to choose a resort where it is the tourist season. Vietnam is stretched from north to south along the coast, and the rainy season starts at different times in the resorts. We can divide resort Vietnam into two climatic zones – Central Vietnam (Nha Trang and Da Nang) and South Vietnam (Mui Ne and Phu Quoc). In each zone, the tourist season and rainy season last four months each, and the spring and fall off-season lasts about two months a year.
January and February is the time of high, dry season in the south of Vietnam. So beach vacations at this time are best on Phu Quoc Island or in Mui Ne.
March and April are ideal months for vacationing in all of Vietnam. Any resorts are warm and there will be almost no rain. The air temperature during the day is comfortable – about +28 °C. You can easily combine beach vacations with excursions.
May through August is the high, dry season in Central Vietnam. At this time there are no waves, wind and rain at sea, but the heat outside is unbearable – up to +38 °C. At night it is also sweltering – up to +30 °C. This is an ideal period for a beach vacation in Nha Trang or Da Nang, but it will be hard to sightsee in the heat. Waterfalls at this time are not as powerful as in the rainy season. The southern resorts of Phu Quoc and Mui Ne have a low, rainy season.
September and October, in my opinion, is the perfect time to vacation in Nha Trang. It is not so hot anymore, but it is still warm. The average temperature is +28 °C. Rains are short-lived, and even the consequences of a tropical downpour disappear in a couple of hours. But do not forget that the weather can surprise you and can vary greatly from year to year. In the southern resorts, the weather at this time is changeable and the rainy season is just ending.
From November to December in Central Vietnam – Nha Trang and Da Nang – rainy season, there is a possibility of typhoons. At sea there are strong waves, wind and, as a consequence, a lot of garbage in the water and on the shore. At this time it is better to rest in the south of Vietnam – in Phu Quoc or Mui Ne.
Before traveling to Nha Trang, tourists look at the weather on the internet and are often upset about the rains. But in fact, it rains less often than forecast. This is because the towers that record the weather are located in the mountains, where clouds often linger. The most accurate weather, in my opinion, is shown by the Winde app or website.
Resorts and Attractions in Vietnam
Nha Trang is the most popular Vietnamese resort. The tourist infrastructure is well developed here.
I like Nha Trang for its compactness. Everything a tourist needs is located on the three streets closest to the sea: hotels, cafes, bars, restaurants, stores, shopping centers, souvenir stores, travel agencies, massage parlors, bike rentals, fruit outlets and ATMs.
Some attractions are within the city limits and can be visited independently by city bus. These include the ancient Cham towers of Ponagar, the Long Son Pagoda, the Catholic Cathedral and the rock garden at Cape Hon Chong. Admission prices for both 2019 and June 2023 are low, up to 22,000 VND. Long Son Pagoda is free of charge. To the cathedral, admission is for a donation. I think it is a tourist crime to be in Nha Trang and not visit these affordable places.
The real gem of Nha Trang is the Vin Wonders amusement island. Previously, it was called “Wineperl-land”. To walk around the botanical garden, zoo, aviarium, oceanarium, ride rides and slides in the water park, watch the fountain show and spend time on the beach, one day will not be enough. We didn’t have time to see everything we wanted to see – we had to sacrifice some things.
The complex is constantly being completed and new zones are being opened. In June 2023, the entrance ticket price will start from 750,000 VND, but the time spent there is worth every dong.
In the suburbs of Nha Trang, I recommend visiting a natural attraction – Bajo Waterfalls. It is best to do it after the rainy season, then the waterfalls will be more powerful. They consist of three steps, not everyone reaches the last one. On some parts there are crampons hammered into the rocks, on which you need to climb up.
The price of admission in June 2023 is VND 100,000. During our trip in 2019, for this money you could not only swim in the waterfalls, but also swim in the pool, ride a catamaran and sap-board.
If you take a boat tour, you can get to the northern or southern islands. Prices start at $35 per person. You can usually find similar tours half the price locally. For example, in 2019, they cost from 400,000 VND. In the northern islands there is a zoo where monkeys live in the wild, you can ride ostriches or elephant. This will be of particular interest to children. In the southern islands you can go snorkeling, diving or just relax on the beach.
My wife and I are big snorkeling fans, so we liked the excursion to the southern islands better. We have our own equipment, and those who don’t have a mask and snorkel with them will be given them for free. You should not expect that the underwater world there will be as rich as in the Red Sea, but it still deserves attention.
Da Nang is a large resort city on the shores of the South China Sea. It is not as compact and cozy as Nha Trang. Mostly people from Europe, USA and Australia have a rest in Da Nang, so the resort is more oriented to independent travelers who know English.
Da Nang has a wide and long beach strip and a gentle entrance to the sea. The sea promenade, in my opinion, is inferior in beauty to the Nha Trang promenade, but there are many beautiful bridges across the Han River. For example, the Dragon Bridge spews flames and water on Friday and weekends at 21:00.
A lot of people gather to watch this show every time, and the neighborhood reminds you of a festival like City Day. I advise you to bring an umbrella to avoid getting wet under the streams of water.
The most popular attraction is the Bana Hills entertainment complex with the famous “Hands of God” bridge. In this place you forget that you are in Vietnam, and for a while you move to France. In principle, you can come to Da Nang just for this. Many tourists do so. The territory is huge. You need a whole day to see everything.
The complex is almost 6 km away by cable car with breathtaking views of the sea and Mount Bana. The price of an adult ticket in June 2023 is VND 900,000.
On the Son Tra peninsula is a Buddhist temple with a statue of Lady Buddha, visible from the city beach of Da Nang. We saw many pagodas and temples in Vietnam, but this one particularly impressed us. Besides the gorgeous views of the city and the huge statue, you can walk around the cozy grounds and even meet monkeys. Entrance is free, but donations are welcome.
Antiquity and history buffs may enjoy the three Unesco heritage sites near Da Nang. In the north is the former imperial capital of Vietnam Hue, in the south is the museum city Hoi An, and 43 km from Da Nang are preserved Cham towers Mishon aged from 400 to 1000 years. I was not impressed by this story: I had already seen similar Ponagar Cham towers in Nha Trang. Back in Hoi An, some historical buildings were given over to stores and cafes, and in the narrow streets crowds of tourists and molesters spoiled the romantic atmosphere of the museum city.
People go to Dalat to enjoy the clean mountain air and get a break from the stuffiness. The city rises 1500 meters above sea level and is 130 km away from it. It was founded by French colonizers who could not stand the coastal heat. The average temperature is +23 °C during the day and +16 °C at night all year round. For this Dalat is called the Vietnamese Alps and the city of eternal spring.
Dalat has a picturesque nature with many waterfalls, lakes, forests and mountains. There are parks and squares for strolling, special locations for photos, flowers growing all around, and the local architecture has a French colonial style. Thanks to its mild climate, Dalat grows fruits and vegetables that can be seen on stalls all over Vietnam. Man-made attractions include the Linh Phuoc and Chuc Lam pagodas and marvel at the architecture of the Crazy House Hotel.
Even if you spend your vacation in Nha Trang or Mui Ne, I advise you to visit Dalat as part of a tour. One day will not be enough, but you will be able to see the main sights. It is ideal to stay in the city overnight and see as much as possible.
Mui Ne is a coastal fishing village where people come to get away from the big cities and enjoy the solitude. The waves on the sea can be too big due to the constantly blowing wind, so it can be uncomfortable for children in Mui Ne. But fans of surfing and kitesurfing will love this place. In the village are mostly low private houses and villas with a small green area on the first coastline overlooking the sea. All the modest infrastructure is located on one long street that runs through the whole resort.
Mui Ne does not have as many attractions as other cities in Vietnam. In a couple of days you can visit everything: the ancient Cham towers of Poshanu, white and red sand dunes, Kega lighthouse operating since colonial times, Fei stream and 49-meter statue of the reclining Buddha. If you start acquaintance with Asia with Mui Ne, then excursions can seem interesting. Especially tourists highlight the white sand dunes, where you can move to the desert for a while. Such in Vietnam there is nowhere else.
I and some of my acquaintances found vacationing in Mui Ne boring. Perhaps, the opinion would change if you go boarding or do other water sports. In my opinion, it is better to go somewhere else for a beach vacation. Mui Ne has too much trash, muddy water and strong waves.
Ho Chi Minh City is the former capital in the south of Vietnam, which used to be called Saigon. It is not a resort town: you have to drive about two hours to the nearest coastal Vung Tau for the beach. Ho Chi Minh City seemed to me too big, uncomfortable and noisy. But it is still worth spending a couple of days there.
Ho Chi Minh City will appeal to lovers of the history of Vietnamese resistance to the US Army. In the suburb, you can climb the underground tunnels of Cu Chi, where the Vietnamese used to hide, and even shoot guns from those times.
In the center of the city there is a museum of war victims, which displays trophy equipment, weapons and photos from the war years. I would not recommend it to impressionable people. In the museum there is a hall of the consequences of the chemical Agent Orange, reminiscent of a Kunstkammer. The price of admission in June 2023 is VND 40,000.
For those who do not like military themes, there is a zoo and a botanical garden in the city center. The territory is large, you need a few hours to see everything. I liked the complex, despite some lack of maintenance. Perhaps the price of the entrance ticket should be raised for more order: in 2019 it cost only 50,000 VND, but by June 2023 the price has risen to 60,000 VND.
We even managed to participate in a cobra feeding on a dead snake. It was an impressive experience. A zoo employee cautiously opened the door and looked for the cobra with his eyes. We gestured to him to show him where it was, he quickly tossed the food in its direction and closed the door. In the same way, we helped the employee to feed snakes in several other terrariums.
I also recommend taking a tour of the Mekong Delta. Here you can see how cocoa, jackfruit, carambola and water coconut grow. At the end of the tour we were taken for a ride on small Asian boats. In 2019, we paid VND 840,000 for two people. In June 2023, this excursion costs from $23 per person.
Phu Quoc is an island resort in the Gulf of Thailand. Tourists come here for a beach vacation in a quiet place. The beaches of Fukuok have white sand and blue water, and one of them is inhabited by starfish. Most of the island is covered with tropical jungle with unique plants and animals.
Phu Quoc is not famous for attractions, although there are some here. The main entertainment on the island is the Vin-Wonders Park, which was also formerly called “Winperl-land”. Here you can ride rides, go to the water park, spend time at the pool, visit the oceanarium and watch various shows. Everything is very similar to the entertainment complex in Nha Trang. The price of entrance ticket in June 2023 is from VND 710,000.
In the safari park you can watch animals in their natural habitat from the bus. There is also a petting zoo that you can walk through on foot. Admission tickets will cost from VND 650,000 in June 2023. A single ticket to both Wyn Wonders and the safari park costs from 1,000,000 VND.
Vietnamese people love building cable cars, and in Fukuoka they even set a world record in 2018. Neighboring Pineapple Island can be reached by the world’s longest cable car over the sea. The island is home to the Sun World amusement park. Here you can spend a whole day in the water park or on the beach, have fun in the inflatable town on the sea and take pictures with different sculptures. A round-trip entrance ticket with cable car in June 2023 costs VND 600,000.
Money
The national currency of Vietnam is dong. There are no coins in circulation, the minimum denomination is 500 VND, the maximum is 500,000 VND. Money with a face value of 10,000 ₫ and above are plastic, so they are difficult to tear and can be bathed with.
You can’t do without cash in Vietnam. Cards are accepted only in large stores and hypermarkets and may charge 3-5% commission for cashless payment. In addition, some stores have a limit on the minimum amount of payment by card – from 100,000 VND.
You can come to Vietnam with cash dollars or euros and exchange them, for example, in jewelry stores. The exchange rate there is usually a little more favorable than in money exchangers, cafes and hotels. In 2019, we flew to Vietnam at night, when everything was already closed, and changed money in a cafe at a rate of 21,000 VND per 1 $. The next day we found out that a jewelry shop nearby could sell a dollar for 23,200 VND.
In Vietnam, large bills of $50 and $100 are exchanged at a more favorable rate than, for example, $5 or $10. But a large 500 € bill may not be accepted everywhere.
Housing
We rented hotels in Da Nang, Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh City for 200,000-450,000 VND per night. Usually Vietnamese hotels in this price category are not distinguished by luxury: the rooms are small in size and the water in the shower floods the entire bathroom.
In 2023, prices are still about the same. The owners of the apartments where we stayed in 2019 could not stand the competition with hotels back in the pandemic. Now they rent accommodation only for long term stays.
For those who come to Vietnam for a month or more, I advise you to rent a hotel for a few days and look for accommodation on your own. Many houses have signs with phone numbers on them. You can also give an announcement in advance about the search for housing in thematic groups in social networks.
But in this case, be prepared to spend a lot of time and reject a lot of unnecessary options, for example, with a different budget and inconvenient location. I have always found accommodation in Vietnam on my own, I have not used the services of realtors yet.
A studio apartment with a kitchen in walking distance to the sea can be rented for 4,000,000 VND. Utilities are paid separately, on average not more than 1,000,000 VND. Comfortable beachfront apartments with sea views, designer renovation, concierge, security, cleaning and parking can be rented for $450 per month. Private villas with several bedrooms in the elite area cost an average of $1,500 per month.
What to try in Vietnam
National cuisine is primarily rice with beef, pork, chicken, seafood or vegetables. In 2023, a portion costs from 35,000 VND. Alternatives to rice include barley, rice or plain flour noodles with the same additives.
Tourists love Vietnamese soups. I suggest you try the flavorful pho – meat broth with noodles, sprouted soybean sprouts, herbs and lime. A liter costs about 50,000 VND.
A popular appetizer is banh seo. These are pancakes with different fillings: shrimp, soy sprouts, carrots and herbs. The price for a serving of four pancakes is 60,000 VND. Vietnamese people also like neem lui, which is similar to lulia kebab, but smaller in size. The price per skewer is 6,000 VND, and there are usually ten pieces in a serving.
Among the exotics in Vietnam, you can try shark soup, frog legs, ostrich, crocodile or snake meat. The dishes are inexpensive, about 100,000 VND per serving, and are found on menus in many tourist cafes.
Drinks worth trying in Vietnam include iced coffee with condensed milk, coffee with egg, various fruit shakes, sugar cane juice, kumquat iced tea and passion fruit beer. The drinks cost VND10,000-45,000.
If you like the exotic, try Sanest drinks based on swifts’ nests. They are popularly called swallow’s drool. The drink tastes like sweet water with coconut and dried fruit. I did not like the taste, but in Asia it is not drunk for pleasure: it is considered healthy. Swifts’ nests are also used to make soups.
Cafes and restaurants in Vietnam
In tourist places you can often find cafes working on a buffet system, also called Buffet. There you can taste seafood and any exotic meat in unlimited quantities for a fixed price of 150,000-600,000 VND.
Real Vietnamese food is sold in street cafes. They are not listed in guidebooks or marked on maps. You can recognize them by locals eating there, lack of menus, plastic chairs and dirty napkins lying under the table. Dirty, colorful, but cheap and tasty. Most likely, you will have to explain yourself using gestures: the cafe staff do not know English.
Restaurants often serve hotpot, a dish that you have to cook yourself. Patrons are brought to the table with a gas burner and a large bowl of broth. The broth may contain tomatoes, mushrooms, lemongrass, and ginger. The rest of the ingredients for cooking the tourist chooses himself. The dish is large, for a whole company, and the price is about 250,000 VND.
A cafe in Da Nang:
- Banh Xeo Ba Duong serves national cuisine such as banh seo pancakes and nam lui kebabs. The dishes come with a very tasty meat sauce.
- A delicious banh mi can be tasted at Ùmm – Banh Mi & Cafe.
- If you fancy a pizza, you can go to one of the Pizza Hut chain restaurants. The prices there are affordable.
A cafe in Nha Trang:
- Quan An Hong Duc is a colorful street café. We first spotted it in 2015 and not much has changed since then. It’s always full of people in the evenings.
- Everyday Cafe offers Vietnamese and European cuisine. It has low prices and delicious food.
- Cafe Nom Nom is worth a visit if only for the coffee and egg and delicious pizza.
A cafe in Dalat:
- I recommend trying Korean cuisine at the Fungi Chingu cafe. The food here is served in an unusual way – you cook it yourself and choose the degree of frying. The friendly staff help with cooking and bring different sauces, herbs and snacks to the dishes free of charge.
- Local expats love to eat pho soup at Pho Anh & Bun Bo Hue. I couldn’t find better pho than here in Dalat.
- If you want a quick snack, the delicious banh mi with cheese sauce is made at the street bakery. It has been in business since 1989.
Cafe in Fukuoka:
- A truly delicious bun cha soup is prepared at Bun Cha Ha Noi – Phu Quoc.
- If you are tired of Asian food, you can have pizza at Pizza Taxi Phu Quoc.
- I suggest trying the rich beef noodles bo kho at a local cafe away from the tourist area.
Cafe in Ho Chi Minh City:
- The delicious Vietnamese soup Bun Cha is made at the cafe with the same name Bun Cha 145.
- If you want local flavor, the best banh mi is prepared in one street café. Everything here is Vietnamese: low plastic chairs, garbage, dirt, but cheap and tasty.
Stores in Vietnam
There are several chain hypermarkets in Vietnam: Mega Magt, Big C, Lotte Magt and Coop Magt. They sell groceries, household chemicals, general merchandise, clothes, souvenirs and even home appliances. These hypermarkets are usually remote from the tourist areas, but are found in all major cities.
Examples of prices for common items:
- bottle of water, 1.5 liters – 10,000 VND;
- bread – 15,000 VND;
- milk, 1 liter – 30,000 VND;
- mango, 1 kg – 35,000 VND;
- ground coffee, 0.5 kg – 75,000 VND.
In the tourist zone there are chain shopping centers Vincom Plaza, where you can buy almost everything – from food to a car. World brands of clothing are rarely found in the stores – you will have to make do with local brands only.
You can quickly buy something on your way to the sea or hotel in chain mini-markets like A Mart, 79 Mart, TS Mart. But the selection is small and prices are higher than in supermarkets.
Transportation
The transportation network in Vietnam is well developed. From the airports of Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City you can get to the center by city bus for 5000 VND. In comparison, a cab will cost 100,000 VND. From Cam Ranh airport to Nha Trang, you can take the Dat Moi intercity bus for 60,000 VND or a cab for 300,000 VND.
The city buses are convenient and easy to travel around Hanoi, Da Nang or Ho Chi Minh City. I recommend downloading the Busmap app. It will help you build your route, see stops and show you bus traffic. A fare in Nha Trang costs 9,000 VND.
Cab. To order a cab, it is better to use the Grab app. Through it, even without knowing the language, you can get a ride for a fixed price and pay for the fare with a bank card. You can also order food from cafes with delivery in Grab.
Motorcycles and scooters. If you want to move freely around the country, rent a scooter. To drive a bike you need an international driver’s license of category A. They do not always ask for them at the rental shop itself – the local police require a license. If you don’t have a license, you can rent an electric scooter or a gasoline bike up to 50 cm³: they don’t require a license.
Motorbike for rent shops are located on the tourist streets of the city. Renting a bike costs from 100,000 VND per day depending on its condition.
Intercity buses. You can travel between cities in Vietnam on buses called slip buses. They are equipped with reclining seats for passengers in three rows. This is the cheapest way to travel from city to city. For example, a ticket from Nha Trang to Ho Chi Minh City costs from VND300,000. Previously, The Sinh Tourist, Futa Bus and Hanh Cafe were the main transportation firms. In 2023, you can’t book tickets online on their websites. Therefore, it is better to use the aggregator 12Go.
Internet
There are no problems with the internet in Vietnam. There is no roaming between cities, and the network was catching in almost all places where we traveled in 2019. You can connect to wifi at the airport, at the bus station, in any cafe or shopping center. In hotels or rented apartments it is free and with good speeds. Usually the password is on the wall or on the menu, sometimes you have to ask the waiter or the owner for it.
If you want to stay in touch, you can buy a SIM card of local operators Viettel, Mobifone, Vinaphone, Vietnamobile at points of sale. On average, a SIM card costs 100,000 VND and no documents are required. The tariff usually includes enough internet traffic, such as 4GB per day with 4G coverage. Ho Chi Minh City even has 5G network coverage.
What to bring from Vietnam
From Vietnam are brought pearl jewelry, latex pillows, clothes and accessories made of cow or crocodile skin, Vietnamese cosmetics, oriental ointments, silk, coffee and exotic fruits.
The most recognizable souvenir from Vietnam is the national non hat. On average, it costs from 30,000 VND. Unlike the Mexican sombrero, which is worn only to entertain tourists, older Vietnamese people still wear these hats every day.
Local coffee is also imported from Vietnam. In addition to coffee, you can buy a Vietnamese brewer – fin. It is easy to use. Ground coffee is poured into the bottom of the fin, poured with boiling water and filtered through the holes into a cup. Price – from 30,000 VND depending on the size.
Exotic fruits – mangoes, rambutan, lychee, mangosteen, pitahaya – can be taken out of Vietnam in a basket of up to 5 kg. It is forbidden to take watermelon and coconut, which can explode on board due to pressure, and durian on board: it smells terrible.
Some airlines do not count 5 kg of fruit as either hand luggage or baggage. But it is better to check this before flying: rules change all the time. Prices for fruit depend on the season, with the average cost ranging from 20,000 VND to 40,000 VND per 1 kg.
Safety rules
Vietnam is a relatively safe country for tourists: it ranks 63rd out of 195 in the safety rating. During a year of stay here, no trouble happened to me and my acquaintances. Despite this, foreigners may encounter fraud and theft in Vietnam.
In order to prevent possible problems, it is necessary to follow elementary safety rules:
- When walking on the sidewalk or side of the road, hold your bag, phone, wallet so they can’t be snatched from a passing bike.
- Do not take valuable things to the beach: gold jewelry, phones, large sums of money. If you can’t do without them, try not to show them to others.
- When you leave for a swim, ask someone nearby to keep an eye on your belongings.
- Negotiate the amount of the trip in advance with street cab drivers or motorcycle rickshaws. Write it down somewhere and show it to the driver. Scammers may demand to pay in dollars or an agreed amount, but per passenger.
- While you are still not used to local money, you may confuse 10,000 and 100,000 dong bills. Check which bill you are giving or accepting.
- When renting a bike, fix all damages and scratches so you won’t be forced to pay for them.
- At tourist pagodas, do not accept donations of aroma sticks or agree to perform any ritual ceremonies. You may be charged for it later.
- In dubious massage parlors or karaoke bars that actually offer intimate services, money can be stolen from a client’s clothes.
- As a rule, hotels do not steal. If you rent an apartment, do not leave windows open and lock all doors when you leave.
